Base-exchange silicate and process of preparing the same



- Patented met. 23, 11%?23.

entree Lara-res tartan earner" earner.

rune x. am, or cnrcaeo, rrnrriors, assre-non To one Boanorarrn comrarrr or arrnnrca, or cmcaeo, ILLHIOIS, a CORPORATION or rumors.

BASE-EXCHANGE SEICATEAND PROCESS OF PREPARING THE SAME.

county of Cook and tate or Illinois, have & -invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Base-Exchange Silicates and Procasses of Preparing the Same,,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the preparation or base exchange silicatesfor technical use, the object being to provide a material of 'high base exchanging capacity, one which may be rapidly regenerated, and which will remain active for an extended period of 15 time, that is to say, its efiiciency will not be lost by repeatedly passing through repeated use,-an'd regeneration which, in the softening of water, for instance, consists. in the exchange of sodium and potassium in ,the material for the calcium and magnesium in the water, and reversely, the release of the latter bases and reabsorption of potassium or sodium fromthe regenerating solution, I which may be brine from common salt.

Variousprocesses for the preparation of materials, having, or capable of acquiring, base exchanging properties, have been pro posed, but owing to the substances employed, or the treatment administered, the resulting products have been lacking in the activity, durability and adaptability for rapid I regeneration, demanded by-"commercial practice.

n The most satisfactory substance for the preparation of base exchanging .material that I am aware of is glauconite commonly known as green-sand such as is found in crude form in the vicinity of Birmingham,

Burlington County, New Jersey. In its natural state -it posesses base exchanging properties and occurs in a physical form readily adaptable for employment as a water softening agent. According to one of the known-methods nowin wide use, this greensa nd may be fitted for commercial practice by merely baking it and subsoquent-ly treating it with salt brine.

I have found, however, that a better and cheaper product can be made by subjecting thismaterial to the action of sodium silicate 1 and sodium aluminate at substantially the temperature of boiling'water, and that-the product thus prepared has greater activity, longer life; greater coherence, and can be 'esses and materials heretofore hp plrcation filed oetober a, 1,920. enial Ho. {115,524.

more rapidly regenerated and more eco nomlcally utilized, than the halmd green' sand or the product of any of the other procfor the same general purpose. ntreated glauconite used for water softening prorescribed duces turbid water. eiEven after a substantial number of uses and regenerations the Water will be found discolored and the treatment with silicate eliminates, or reduces to a negligible point, this turbidity.

In carrying out the process of this inven-- tion I. may proceed by way of example as follows: 7

Approximately two tons ofmaterial. similar to that found in the deposit to which I have referred, is thoroughly washed and screened, tO'select the particles which pass through a 20 mesh vscreen'but fail to pass through an 80 mesh screen. Approximately one-half of the material is thus selected and retained, the remainder representing impurities and unsuitable residue. The selected particles are again washed, this time preferably inthe waste solution remaining after the boiling step hereafter to be described. To one ton of the selected particles forty gallons of a solution of sodium silicate of 10 Baum are added and the mixture boiled for five minutesunder agitation; at the end of which time four gallons of l0" Baum solution of sodium aluminate are added and the boiling and agitation continued for fifteen minutes, water being added from timev to time to maintain the original volume. .The solution is then drawn 0d and passed toa storage tank from which it may be drawn and used for the final washing of the material preliminary to boiling. The

treated material is then washed until the wash water runs clear and neutral, after which the material is dried at a tempera: ture of substantially 212 F. and again passed through 20 mesh and over 80 mesh screens to remove the trace of undesirable material still remaining It is then ready for use.

The treated product is readily distin uished from the untreated by its increased hardness, increased content of silica. and sodium and by its more pronounced green coloring. It may be distinguished from baked glauconite by its greater resistance to the erosive action of water, by the fact that referrin to the deposit in the vicinity of Birming am, Burlington County, New J er sey, or any material of equivalent physical change si change silicate whi and chemical characteristics.

The effect of this treatment is to provide a film or coating of sodium aluminum silicate upon the glauconiteparticles so that the glauconite particles act as carriers for a pure artificial water softening base exchange silicate.

I I claim:

1. The rocess of reparing a base exchange si icate whic comprises boiling green-sand in a solution, of sodium silicate, subsequently adding a solution of sodium aluminate and continuing the boiling.

2. The roce'ssof preparing a base exchange si icate which comprises boiling reen sand in a substantiall 10 Baum sution of sodium silicate, a ding a substantially Baum solution of sodium aluminate and continuing the boiling.

' 3. The process of preparing a base exchange silicate which comprises boiling green-sand for abo u t five minutes in a substantially 10 Baum solution of sodium silicate, add-in a substantially 10 Baum solution-of so ium aluminate and continuing the boiling for about fifteen minutes.

4. The process of reparing a base ex change silicate whic comprises treating green-sand with a solution of sodium silicate and a solution of sodium aluminate.

5. The process of preparing a base exchange silicate which comprises treating green-sand successively with a solution of sodium silicate and with a solution of sodium aluminate.

. 6. The process of reparing a base ex- I comprises treating refined green-sand with a solution of sodium silicate and a solution of sodium aluminate.

7. The process of preparing a base exchange silicate which com rises treating re-' fined een-sand successive y with asolution of so "um sllicate and with a solution of sodium aluminate.

-8. The lprocess of preparing a base. ex-

cats which comprises the treatment of substantially one ton of glauconite for about five minutes with a solution of about forty gallons of sodium silicate substan tially 10' Baum, then adding about. four gallons of sodium aluminate substantially 10 Baum, boiling for about fifteen minutes, agitating the mixture during the treatment, then removing the solution and washing and drying the thus treated glauconite.

9. he process change silicate which comprises the treat-- ment of substantiall one ton of refined glauconite for about five-minutes with a solution of about forty gallons of sodium silicate substantially 10 Baum, then adding'about-four gallons of sodiumaluminate substantially 10 Baum, boiling for about fifteen minutes, agitating the mixture dur-" ing the treatment, then removing the solution and washing and drying the thus treated glauconite.

process of preparmg a base ex:

10. The change sil cate which comprises washing and screening glauconite to select particles which pass through a screen substantially -mesh but fail to pass through a screen substantially 80-mesh, treating substantially one ton of the so refined glauconite for about five minutes with a solution of about forty allons of sodium silicate substantially l0 aum, then adding about four gallons of sodium aluminate substantially 10 Baum, boiling for about fifteen minutes, agitating the mixture during the treatment, then removing the solution and washing and drying the thus treated glauconite.

11. A base exchange silicate, comprising natural base exchange silicate particles having a coating of artificial base exchange silicates. a

12. The process of preparing a water softening material, comprising precipitating upon a natural base exchange silicate a coating of base exchange silicate from the reaction of sodium aluminateand sodium silicate.

In testimony whereof subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

YONG K. LEE.

Witnesses:

- C. S. Bu'rnnn,

F. W. Wammiw.

I have hereunto of preparing ja base ex- 

